To showcase her pregnancy, Emily Mueller decided on a honey bee-themed photo shoot. The resulting images have both “wowed” and “shocked” readers around the world. Along with her husband, Emily runs the Mueller Honey Bee company, which seeks to save the bees. Based in Ohio, USA, the company works with various products related to the industry, including the sale of honey.

In the compelling photographs below, Mueller can be seen posing with 20,000 live honey bees which the company rescued as part of its mission to relocate colonies and hives found in undesirable places. Though the images are alluring, they are also downright frightening to many who have an aversion to bees.

Albeit controversial, one cannot deny the photo shoot is unique. Learn more about the photographer, Kendrah Damis, on her Facebook page.

Emily Mueller

Emily Mueller

Emily Mueller

Emily Mueller

Emily Mueller

Why save the bees?

Mueller’s photo shoot may be concerning to some, but the message she promotes (to save the bees) is a vital one. The importance of the bumbling insect is often understated. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honey bees pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops which constitute one-third of everything we eat.

One Cornell University study also found that honeybees annually pollinate $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States.

f the bees go extinct as a result of neonicotinoids in insecticides, EMF bombardment, and mites (among other concerns), every species on the planet will suffer. By raising awareness about the honey bee’s plight, hopefully, more efforts will be employed to preserve the pollinating insect.